Which to use
“ella” and “ello” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #144
- “ella” frequency rank
- #400
- “ello” frequency rank
- 544
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ella | ello |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativo y preposicional del pronombre personal de la tercera persona del singular en el género femenino. Con preposición empléase también en los casos oblicuos. | Nominativo del pronombre personal de tercera persona en género neutro. Con preposición, empléase también en el caso oblicuo (o preposicional). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ella and ello apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
ella and ello form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by a single letter - a in “ella” becomes o in “ello” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 544, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ella is recorded at frequency rank #144, classified as apron, pronounced [ˈeʝa]. ello is at rank #400, tagged as apron, pronounced [ˈeʝo].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 544, this pair ranks #323,290 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ella" and "ello" be used interchangeably?
Remembering ella vs ello
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ella” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable